If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Bright and sunny here in the World Capital of Insurance on what looks to be a beautiful New England day after heavy rains yesterday afternoon. I have to say, New England is beautiful in the spring and summer, probably moreso than the last equivalent area in the US I'd lived in, Northern Virginia.

The wonderful day I had planned appears to be ruined by my company's stupidity. Last night, my company laptop died. I called our tech support and they will be sending a vendor to repair it on Monday (at my client's site) as it still has 24 days of warranty! When I explained that I was in the second week of a four week engagement and that being without it for even a day would jeopardize this client, the cultural gap became apparent as the techie refused to fed ex me a loaner or, better, a new one. So, I'm off today to try to get my data dumped so I can at least take over a client desktop and get some work done tomorrow.

This inconvenience is going to cut into the time I have to cook today, as I'll need to go to 'burbs to find a CompUSA or equivalent to do the work on a Sunday. I'd planned to try three-cheese bread today along with a coq-au-vin. As it is, we have some kabobs from Whole Foods that I'll probably pop into the oven along with making some risotto and that'll be it!

The thought of my coq-au-vin, along with a comment made by Lurk a while ago regarding threads about dark and light chocolate has inspired the thread today. At the time I remarked that one of the distinguishing taste-based features between Americans and Europeans seemed to be their preference for light and dark chocolate respectively.

This distinction was also brought up to me last weekend when my girlfriend's Eastern European colleagues remarked that they had toned down the spices in the ćevapčići since there would be a mixture of Americans and Europeans at their gathering. While I found this amusing as I've eaten Tandori Chicken in Jubail that would make most Europeans blanche, I also realized that it is a perception shared by many Europeans, particularly Mediterraneans. I also remember that when I was growing up, spices in my household consisted of salt, pepper, and, if we were really getting exotic, oregino.

Moreover, since the amusing "I hate me" thread and its offshoots seem to have run their course, I thought we might slide into one that's not so controversial :D. All of which leads to the...

TOTD: Do Americans prefer their food less spicy than other peoples? And by spicy I don't just mean hot, but rather with less spices.

Note several considerations when answering. Traditional American cooking, i.e., WASP cooking, is primarily derived from Northern European styles and selections -- beef, pork, chicken, root vegetables -- and traditional British, for example, cooking is not heavily spiced. Also, with the advent of rapid transportation of foodstuffs, local dependence upon certain menu items is waning, so that all cuisines are becoming "globalized" to some extent (although we will see how the price of oil affects that trend in the short term). Finally, "traditional American" cooking, deriving as it does from multiple European and non-European sources is more diverse than the traditional cuisine of many more singularly-ethnic countries.

However, given all these considerations, we report, you decide...

While you're deciding, instead of that bland white sugar in your coffee, spice it up with a little brown sugar.

Huh....what? I should refrain from reading your Sunday ramblings until I have had at least TWO cups of coffee...mine with cream and plain ol' white sugar...

TOTD: I suppose I would say most Americans of an older generation probably prefer the rather "spiceless" foods we all grew up on, your traditional meat-and-potatoes style foods...and much of it is yummy stuff. Personally, I love more spice on my food, whether it be from a marinating sauce, spice-rub, or a good old slathering of hot sauce.

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." H.P. Lovecraft in Supernatural Horror in Literature

TOTD: I don't use a lot of spices when I cook. The only spices I ever really run out of are Italian Seasoning and Garlic Powder.:p

Don't use garlic powder! Use fresh garlic.

I actually use a lot of basil these days, as well as rosemary (a couple more and we'd have a Simon and Garfunkel song or a Siberian hampster :D). When we were in France, I bought several mixtures of spices, but they're almost gone now.

Anyway, I like spicy food. This may be a generational thing. It may be a regional thing. I remember when it was not common to see pizza restaurants in the south. Now, even a small town like Toccoa has 3 Chinese restaurants, A Japanese fast food restaurant, two Mexican restaurants, and a restaurant featuring Greek food. They are very popular.

Anyway, I like spicy food. This may be a generational thing. It may be a regional thing. I remember when it was not common to see pizza restaurants in the south. Now, even a small town like Toccoa has 3 Chinese restaurants, A Japanese fast food restaurant, two Mexican restaurants, and a restaurant featuring Greek food. They are very popular.

Still no Italian Restaurant and no place that sells decent cigars. :(

At home I use a lot of spices. I am especially fond of Indian spices.

Me too.

Spices, every day. And cigars (not every day). And of course, some good single malt (also not every day).

Cigars are a problem ... I have to go up to London or Belgium to get resupplies.